Intrigued
by gift of the gabz
Summary: If anyone asked him when he was first intrigued by Rachel Berry, he'd lie.
1. Intrigued

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters.**

**A/N: This story is a little different and I was arguing over whether to post it or not. Eventually I gave up and simply posted it, I hope you enjoy it. ~ Gabz**

If he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would say the first time he was truly intrigued by Rachel Berry was on the first day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked him he'd say it was the day she showed up in a particularly short skirt in Sophomore year, walked straight up to him and told him she - Rachel Barbra Berry who signed her name with a star - needed him - Noah 'Puck' Puckerman - to help her.

On that first day of Kindergarden she hadn't been loud or obnoxious. She hadn't flaunted her singing voice or spoken in big words no one but she could understand. She hadn't obsessed over some guy who didn't see her and would never learn who she actually was and what she was worth. She hadn't even shown up in a weird outfit.

She didn't tell everyone that she had two fathers, nor did she proclaim how proud she was of them or how much she meant to them or how much she didn't need her mother. If she had done any of that he's not sure how their story would have changed.

Nevertheless he could still remember when she first piqued his interest with startling clarity.

He'd been playing by the trees with Matt, when he'd heard it. It was a small 'umph' but it was enough to have him searching for the source. His hazel eyes had quickly scanned the playground only to realize no one else seemed to have heard the sound. Noticing Matt was still retrieving the ball from the other side of the playground where he had _accidentally_ kicked it, Noah moved slowly around the tree, searching until he finally spotted her.

She was crouched on the ground holding her knee close to her body as she inspected the blood trickling down her leg with a strange fascination. He knew her name was Rachel - they had been placed in the same desk group until Santana Lopez had complained to the teacher that Rachel needed to switch places with Brittany. Apparently Santana's father had said that Rachel was an abomination and as such she'd refused to sit next to one.

He'd asked his mother about what that meant later and her heartbroken look as he sounded out the word abomination had made him regret asking but he was still grateful when she started speaking. She had turned to him and exclaimed with such anger in her voice that it was small minded people that were the real problem in this country and that Rachel's dads were lovely people, no matter what anyone said. If he was already intrigued he was sure those words would have done it.

As he kept watching her from behind the giant tree, he couldn't help the urge that rose in him to help her, as next to the tree Rachel looked even tinier than he'd originally thought. She looked so breakable sitting in her cocoon that it took everything in him not to run and help her.

What intrigued him the most though was that even though no one could see her and she could have cried without being made fun of, she hadn't. She'd simply closed her brown eyes quickly, her lower lip quivering only once before she got up and pulled a wipe and blue bandaid from her pocket.

That's when he first learnt she was prepared for nearly ever situation - he just never thought she'd need to prepare herself against a slushy thrown from his own hand.

After she cleaned and bandaged her wound, she smiled a little too brightly and continued on to the rest of the playground as if nothing had happened.

Having seen Mike cry for five minutes the day before when he'd gotten a paper cut and having walked past a wailing Santana as her father got in his car after dropping her off outside their classroom, Rachel's lack of tears had impressed him. Impressed him to the point that he'd ignored Matt's questioning look after finding him on the other side of the tree - the boy was never particularly talkative - and instead chose to walk over to where Rachel had been, trying to figure out just how she'd hurt herself.

He'd stayed in that position until the bell rang. When with a dejected sigh he turned to head back to class, determined to try to put this behind him when a flash of gold caught his eye.

Looking closer he recognized it as the metallic gold star Rachel had put on her desk that morning. He didn't know why it was so important to her that she'd spent most of the morning looking at it as if it held all the answers but he was going to find out. He also wanted to know why she'd given up trying to get it and he needed to know how it had ended up in the tree in the first place.

He remembered Santana hanging around the trees at the start of lunch and really hoped his new kind of friend hadn't been behind this.

As he looked back towards the entrance to the school building Noah saw Matt desperately searching for him but for some reason he couldn't let this go. Somehow he knew this metal star was going to be important to him too. Quickly climbing up the tree, he breathed a sigh of relief when his hand touched the cool metal. Slipping it into his pocket, he breathed a sigh of relief and began his descent.

Three branches from the bottom, his foot slipped. He winced as he felt the skin on his knee get caught on the branch below and tear as he fell to the ground. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked up in wonder as he finally realised just how much Rachel must have hurt herself but with that smile on her face no one would have been any wiser, he wouldn't have either had he not heard her fall.

Pulling the star out of his pocket, he ran his thumb over the cool surface as he wiped the few remaining tears that leaked from his eyes. Feeling something under his thumb he looked closer at the shiny surface and realised there was writing on it.

His forehead scrunched in confusion read the engraving. His mouth opened slightly as he realised Rachel had two dads instead of one. Limping back into class as the late bell rang he quickly slipped past the other students and made his way to his desk, grateful that their teacher was writing on the chalk board and not paying enough attention to yell at him - he'd gotten enough of that at preschool.

Nodding to Matt he watched as his friend finally relaxed in his seat opposite Rachel. It took everything in him not to reach over to the tiny brunette and hand her back her star but he knew if Santana saw it, she'd just do the same thing all over again and he didn't want Rachel to be hurt again.

As everyone grabbed their paint pots and began the art portion of the class, Noah sat lost in his thoughts until he felt something hit his foot. Looking down he was surprised to see a scrunched up ball of paper, his eyes subtly scanned the room but everything and everyone seemed to be in place.

Unwrapping it on his lap, he kept his face completely still as he saw the blue bandaid and wipe inside. Quickly cleaning his cut, he got up to throw the rubbish out passing Rachel at the sink. Unable to help himself he muttered a quiet thanks, once again confused as to why she'd helped him in the first place. He saw her lower lip turn up for a second before it went back to her usual neutral expression. That small flicker the only indication that she'd heard him in the first place.

As the years went on she got better at hiding it but he saw how it quivered momentarily whenever Santana and later Quinn said something particularly mean or when Finn used her again and then proceeded to flaunt his relationship with Quinn in front of the whole club - the place Rachel had initially claimed as her sanctum long before the quarterback ever made an appearance.

He saw the way it turned down slightly in disgust whenever Jacob Ben Israel was around, and the way it pulled to one side in disappointment whenever he'd throw Kurt in the dumpster or locked Artie in the Porta Potty or threw a slushy in her face but none of that mattered because she still smiled so brightly at Finn you would have thought he'd hung the stars himself, as she mooned over him like there was no tomorrow.

So he ignored her looks because he didn't care what she thought or what her bottom lip could tell him.

Or at least that's what he told himself, but he still remembered the way her bottom lip quirked upwards when he'd shaved his head into a mohawk and the accompanying gleam in her eye when he'd told her he knew grape was her favorite because she licked her lips after he slushied her. Those little moments where she seemed thrilled that he cared, that he took the time to say thanks. Moments where he knew the truth even when she refused to say it out loud.

Most importantly he knew he cared what she thought because her bottom lip had not moved when she'd broken up with him on the bleachers and that's when he knew she was lying to herself just as he was. He knew she wasn't going to break up with him if it wasn't a preemptive strike because while he knew she was right about him not breaking up with her that day, it didn't mean either of them were certain about the day after, or the week after or the month after and he couldn't blame her because just like Kindergarden she refused to let others hurt her or see her hurt, something which _still _captured his attention.

So if he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would undoubtedly say the first time he was truly intrigued by Rachel Berry was on the first day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked he'd lie because on that day he'd learnt how to read her mind from the little differences in her bottom lip and that was a little secret he was taking to the grave.

**A/N Thanks for taking the time to read, if you want to let me know what you thought :) This will probably be about five chapters. ****Reviews are always appreciated. ~ Gabz**


	2. Amazed

**A/N These chapters won't be too long, hope you like them anyway. If you want at the end take a moment to let me know what you thought.**

If he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would say the first time he was truly amazed by Rachel Berry was on the second day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked him he'd say it was the day she sung 'Maybe This Time' as there was no way a voice that big should be able to come from someone so small. He'd never tell them that he knew what she sounded like because he'd boycotted glee club - even though April Rhodes had been giving out alcohol like there was no tomorrow - to hear Rachel sing because he still remembered the first time she truly amazed him.

They'd been in music class and while the rest of the class had been banging around on the various instruments they'd been given, Rachel had been sitting in her seat the next group over - almost directly diagonal to him - humming to herself. It seemed Matt and he were the only ones paying attention to her but he'd been determined to hear more, so spotting the guitar in the corner a plan formed in his mind.

For now he was just going to listen to her hum but later he'd hear her sing - he didn't learn until much later that she was just as stubborn as him when she wanted to be. He didn't know how he knew she _could _sing but he just did.

His chance finally came later that afternoon when he found himself alone with Rachel in the classroom as their teacher hung up everyone's artwork from the day before. It appeared both their parents were going to be late picking them up.

Feeling his stomach knot as he wrapped his hand around the neck of the guitar, he quickly slipped his spare hand into his pocket feeling the cool metal star and drew courage from it. He'd seen her looking down at her desk earlier today her lower lip slightly downturned but he couldn't bring himself to relinquish her star just yet.

Moving over to the reading corner where she was flipping through a book with _no pictures_, he started to feel nervous again. Running his fingers through his hair once, he put them back into position recalling the few lessons he'd gotten from his father when he was around.

He watched as her head snapped up as he strummed a few chords before settling into the familiar chord progression of 'Amazing Grace'. He knew his mother wouldn't be too happy about the song choice but it was one of the only ones he remembered fully.

A smile tugged at her face and he watched her brown eyes widen as she watched him in return. Pausing for a moment, he nodded to her encouraging her to sing along and just as he expected a her lower lip tugged up at the corner but this time she didn't hide it or let it drop, she just placed her book down and arranged herself more comfortably in front of him. Almost as if an entirely new person had possessed her - he really hoped not since Matt's brother made them watch this movie where he learnt it wasn't nice getting a person unpossessed and he liked Rachel.

Starting the song over, he smiled as she opened her mouth to sing. It took all of his control not to falter once she started singing, it was absolutely beautiful and as the song continued, she seemed to gain more confidence and started singing louder.

Once the song came to a close he looked up at her, his mouth hanging open in surprise. However his true amazement came from the tears in her eyes. The girl had not cried when she'd fallen from a tree but she was crying now. Quickly putting the guitar down he moved to comfort her before he got distracted as he heard cheering from the other side of the room.

Turning around she saw his teacher, his mother and a really tall, dark skinned man clapping by the door, all with tears in their eyes as well. As he blinked he felt something wet on his cheek and was surprised and confused when he realised it was a tear. He was crying too but he didn't know why.

"Daddy!" He watched as Rachel's face lit up as she ran forward to her father, launching herself at him as he caught her mid-air.

Placing the guitar back, Noah walked towards his mother a soft smile still on his face as he watched Rachel recall everything that had happened to her today. His smile dropped slightly as he watched her lower lip quiver momentarily before she skipped over Santana dipping her hair in the paint tin in art today and what horrible things she said about Rachel's dads and continued straight onto what they'd read today.

As the four of them moved out of the classroom and towards the car park Rachel finally finished her story, pausing only to take a breath before speaking again. "Daddy, did you hear Noah play? Wasn't he amazing."

Feeling his face heat up, Noah dropped back behind his mother, not used to people praising him - besides he hadn't even realise Rachel knew his name. Sure he knew hers but that was different

It pretty much continued on like that, anytime Rachel would open her mouth to sing, Noah would be blown away. It amazed him that he never got tired of it, instead it was like hearing her for the first time all over again. So when she'd quit the glee club he'd simply stopped attending, only checking in once or twice to make sure his baby mama was alright and instead would sneak in to Rachel's rehearsals, listen and let himself feel the music.

If anyone asked him when he'd first been amazed by Rachel Berry, Noah Puckerman would lie. Then he would pull them towards the glee room and make them listen to Rachel sing, because when she sung she moved people to tears and that was truly amazing.


	3. Stunned

If he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would say the first time he was truly stunned by Rachel Berry was on the third day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked him he'd say it was the day she showed up in her smoking hot Britney Spears outfit and nearly gave Jew Fro a heart attack. He'd never have worry about that being challenged because he knew that only two other people had the possibility of knowing otherwise and there was no way that Santana or Rachel would contradict him.

As it was with most schools, it appeared that most of the note worthy events happened out in the playground, generally far away from the teacher's watchful eye. So when he noticed Santana and Brittany following Rachel to her tree, he knew something was about to go wrong.

It was that day that he finally saw Rachel for who she was.

Rounding the tree, he caught the tail end of the insults Santana was throwing at Rachel. It appeared her father was still telling the influential Latina his opinion on Rachel's family. Every fibre of his being wanted to punch Santana but his mother and Mike had told him he wasn't allowed to punch girls.

"No wonder your mother didn't want you with a voice that sounds like that, no one could possibly want you."

Noah turned to look at Rachel, his jaw dropping as he registered Santana's latest remark but Rachel was just standing there her lower lip holding strong. Though he'd been initially grateful that his teacher had made Rachel sing today during music, now he wished she'd just let Rachel continue unnoticed.

"Only your freaky _fathers_ would want a thing like you." Her words were dripping with disgust and it was then that Noah knew she'd taken it too far. Stepping forward he tried to quickly get between the pair but was frozen in place when he heard Rachel clear her throat.

He watched as she pointed into the distance behind Santana and innocently called out "look Brittany a unicorn." The petite blonde immediately turned around looking for her Mr Sparkles that she'd spent all of the morning talking about, complaining about the fact that other people couldn't see him.

Noah's brow furrowed as he wondered what she had possibly accomplished with that, when he saw what was about to happen.

Rachel's hand was balled into a little fist and without a second thought she closed her eyes and swung. The force with which Santana hit the ground startled the three five year olds.

He watched wide eyed as Rachel stepped so she had a foot on either side of Santana's waist, her voice low and dangerous as her eyes glinted with fury. "Insult me all you want Santana, but talk about my daddies again and I'll do worse than punch you."

Noah wasn't sure how it was possible for such a small girl to look so terrifying and make such a large threat but as he stood there stunned, he had no doubt she would carry through on her threat.

He watched as Rachel turned and hurried away a bright smile on her face just like it had been on Monday, her dress floating around her knees innocently as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Santana wiping furiously at her fear induced tears he looked over at her smirking as he realised his mother and Mike had never said anything about using girl to punch another girl.

Brittany turned back to the group a sad frown on her face as she complained about missing Mr Sparkles but being so happy that Rachel had been able to see him. Her eyes widened and teared up as she noticed Santana on the floor and quickly ran to help her best friend up, frantically asking what happened.

"She fell." Noah's voice was kind as he responded to Brittany but his eyes never left Santana letting her know just how angry he was, reminding her just how angry Rachel was and telling her not to contradict him. Surprisingly the dark haired girl simply nodded as Brittany helped her up before crying softly on her shoulder as they moved away from the tree.

Santana never set foot near the tree again.

None of them had ever mentioned that day but he'd watched Santana pale whenever someone made a negative comment about Rachel's fathers. Chuckled as her eyes darted around the room checking if Rachel was in hearing range and instantly moving backwards if she was.

He knew Rachel had paid a short visit to Quinn when she was being unreasonable about his rights as the Beth's dad - even if he could only claim that while she was still in the womb. He was positive that she tried bribing Lauren to be nicer to him when he'd gotten that insane crush on her and then he was almost certain that she had resorted to threatening Lauren after the whole 'Lucy Caboosey' incident.

However all of that paled in comparison to the day on the third day of kindergarden under Rachel's tree. So he knew if anyone asked when he'd first been stunned by Rachel Berry he'd lie, not because he was ashamed - it was the first truly badass thing he'd ever seen Rachel Berry do - but rather he wasn't sure which of the two would kill him first if he ever spoke of what truly happened that day after all it was their carefully built persona's on the line.

**A/N Sorry it's so short but hopefully the next chapter will make up for it. Let me know what you think. It's not one of my favorites but the image of a cowering five year old Santana makes me laugh ~ Gabz**


	4. Surprised

If he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would say the first day he was truly surprised by Rachel Berry was on the fourth day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked him he'd say it was the day of the 'Push It' performance, not only did she show everyone that despite her attire and SAT ready vocabulary she _was_ aware of how hot she was but she also showed them all that she wasn't afraid to defy authority.

It was only when the performance was over and she'd stalked out of the choir room, crashing into him after she was done being chewed out by Figgins and Shue, that he was reminded just how much she was able to get away with. Hell, she'd gotten Sandy fired simply because he wasn't using the various members to their strengths - they had some serious dancers who were wasting their time sitting on stools - even he knew that.

However it was that Thursday when he first realised that if Rachel Berry put her mind to something there was nothing that was going to stop her from accomplishing it.

That day it was the monkey bars.

Their teacher had insisted that no one in Kindergarden was to set foot on them without a note from their parents saying they could, then she'd mumbled something about a liability - he didn't know what that meant but he saw Rachel nodding sympathetically.

He did wonder if anyone saw the way her lower lip twitched upwards momentarily and the mischievous gleam in her eyes. He figured they didn't.

Noah wasn't too sure why he was so unsettled at lunch but he figured it was probably the fact that Santana was being quiet, too quiet. Luckily despite the force with which Rachel's punch was delivered, there was no visible mark left so they were all safe for now.

At least he thought they were until a distraught Brittany ran up to him and pulled him over to the monkey bars. His mind was racing and he grabbed Matt and Mike as they passed pulling them along with him.

Finally he caught sight of the two girls, Rachel was sitting underneath the Monkey Bars while Santana was leaning against the pole the only sign of her actual worry was the way her hand was clenched at her side.

Brittany immediately ran over to Rachel as she glared at Santana the action surprising Noah more than anything else that had happened today. Moving closer to the tiny brunette, he looked into Rachel's brown eyes and noticing that her eyes immediately softened from the blank stare she had given the others when their eyes met, allowing him to see how much pain she was in.

Looking down, he winced as he saw the swelling that had already started on her arm and from the way she was barely holding it, he figured if she applied any more pressure she'd cry no matter how hard she tried not too. "What happened?"

He saw the affect his question had on the three girls and knew he was right about a quiet Santana being a bad thing. He watched as she shifted guiltily by the pole, her shoe scuffing against the floor as she tried to control her voice.

"She fell."

He could hear the guilt in her voice but knew she wasn't sorry for what she'd done, she was just feeling bad that Rachel got hurt worse than she'd intended. Seeing Brittany shake her head as tears - tears Rachel still refused to shed - fell from her eyes, he watched amazed as she looked over at her best friend, the betrayal evident on her face.

Helping Rachel off the ground, he watched as Brittany stood with them, wiping her still falling tears as she stayed next to them, her hand coming to rest supportively on Rachel's shoulder. Feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down to see Rachel looking fearfully up at him, shuffling subtly closer as she tried to lose the tearful blonde.

It appeared that crying girls freaked her out as much as it did him. That was surprise number one.

"Hey Brittles…" Noah watched as Brittany smiled slightly at his nickname for her. "I know you're angry at what Santana did but I'm sure she didn't mean it." He watched as Brittany shook her head again, more tears forming in her eyes as she dealt with the fact her best friend had done something hurtful to Rachel. He was sure that she believed that on Monday they'd all been friends. Santana had probably told her they were playing a game with Rachel where they hid her star and she had to try and find it.

"Maybe you should stay with Santana and talk about what happened, it will make you feel better. And if we tell the teacher what actually happened, Rachel and Santana will both get in trouble. Don't you think it's enough that Rachel got hurt, she doesn't need to be in trouble too." Brittany's eyes widened at the severity of the situation and she nodded slightly giving Rachel a watery smile and a quick hug before she moved over to Santana. Her unease present in the way she remained a good five steps away from the other girl.

Hearing Rachel laugh, brought his attention back to the girl, where he noticed Matt and Mike doing all sorts of ridiculous things trying to take her focus away from her arm. He couldn't help the quiet growl that formed in his throat as he watched her smile at the two boys. They may be his friends but it wasn't their job to take care of her. The strength of his anger at his friends had him stepping back once surprised but as he watched Rachel look around for him he finally got it under control.

Mike and Matt looked at him in a mix of confusion and awe as he walked Rachel towards the office leaving them with two now crying girls.

Feeling her lean against him, he looked down concerned. "Rach…" He wasn't sure when he started thinking of her as 'Rach' and not 'Rachel Berry' but as it slipped out he realised it fit.

"It hurts Noah. It hurts a lot." Hearing the quiver in her voice, he wrapped his arm softly around her shoulder. He should have known Satan was going to do something like this, hell he had known she was going to do _something_ he just didn't think it would actually hurt Rachel.

Finally reaching the nurses office he looked around wearily eying the white walls. Everything in the room was white as well.

It was creepy.

Shuddering slightly he relaxed when Rachel moved so her leg was resting against his. Their nurse was quite young and she was nice, giving both of them a lollypop as they continued to lie about how Rachel hurt herself. When it was decided Rachel would have to go to the hospital, he watched as the usually emotionless girl, paled and dug her nails into his arm - a reaction that only increased when she found out her Daddy was busy in court and couldn't go with her and her Dad was still out of town on his business trip.

"Can I go too?" He wasn't sure where the question came from but he knew he wasn't going to let her do this alone. He didn't understand why she was so scared of the hospital but he was determined to stay by her side. "Please, my mum's a nurse there, I'm sure she won't mind."

As the nurse nodded, he found himself surprised as Rachel wrapped her good arm around him, whispering a quiet thank you in his ear. Hugging her back he felt her shake and wondered what it was that had her so scared.

:: :: :: ::

Noah raced through the halls of the hospital, grateful that there was a convenience store next door. Avoiding the many doctors, nurses, janitors and patients he finally found himself at the doors that would lead to Rachel. His hand was in his pocket again, the cool metal of her star, burning against his skin, telling him to give it back to her but he couldn't.

Not yet at least.

Pushing open the doors, he smiled as he listened to Rachel talking to his mother as they finished waiting for the cast to dry. He'd held her hand earlier as the doctor repositioned her bone by squeezing the cast and bit his lip to prevent from screaming at the doctor as Rachel continued to nearly break his hand. He was sure to the doctor and nurse in the room Rachel was just as emotionless and still as ever, as if the whole thing was barely registering on her pain scale.

He didn't understand why the doctor hadn't given her any painkillers but he held his tongue and later Rachel once everyone had left the room and she finally started crying from the pain.

Once she'd picked the colour of her cast, he'd waited anxiously for his mother to show up so he could go buy a specific marker that he knew the store had to sell. For a girl who he was sure had a pink cotton candy coloured room, her choice of a black cast was surprising to say the least.

Nevertheless as he ignored the now talkative Rachel and climbed back onto the examining table they had her waiting on as he took her now dry cast and began drawing. Every time she tried to look, he simply pushed her away wanting it to be a surprise. Finally finished he ignored her curious look as he hopped off the bed and switched the light off, grateful they had the room to themselves at the moment.

His mother and Rachel both gasped as the drawing finally became visible. Bowing his head in a mix of fear and embarrassment he prepared himself for a lecture from his mother, when instead he found himself being accidentally whacked on the back of the head as Rachel jumped from the table and threw her arms around him.

She was happier than he'd seen her since she'd sung on Tuesday and he smiled at the fact that he had made that happen. "This is so cool!" Her words echoed in his ears as he smiled goofily at her. Turning the cast over to look himself.

He had been desperately trying to keep a track of where he'd already written and was grateful he hadn't drawn over anything - glow in the dark ink was apparently nearly invisible in the daytime against a black cast so it had been a challenge.

He'd taken the time to write her name in the neatest hand writing he could and then he'd filled the rest of the cast with stars, only writing his own name up near her elbow.

Noah growled in annoyance as he realised he'd gotten one of the stars too close to the end of her name so it looked like it was part of her name - he always messed stuff up. But when he saw her trace it, with a huge smile on her face, he knew somehow she liked it and he got this weird warm feeling all over his body at that smile.

When they were older he learnt that she'd adopted it as her signature and was explaining to people it was a metaphor for what she was going to be when she was older. However every time she said that, she'd catch his eye and smile slightly and he couldn't help the butterflies that took over his stomach because he knew something no one else did, he knew the truth. Of course sometimes Brittany would make a comment or have a sly smile that made you think that she knew more than she was letting on but then she'd say something about Lord Tubbington and he'd breathe a sigh of relief.

Puck had been surprised by Rachel many times - when she told everyone the truth about the baby when she realised he couldn't and then held him and iced his bruises while he'd cried the pain out. The time she'd propositioned him to make out after singing 'What a Girl Wants', or when she'd lied on the bleachers. When she started dating Jesse and most importantly when she'd visited him in juvie.

However he'd also been the only one not surprised when she'd quit Glee or when she'd come to hide at his place when Kurt 'accidentally' waxed off her eyebrows. He'd expected it when she'd saved their ass at sectionals and when she'd had Finn, Jesse and herself in 'Run Joey Run'. He was waiting for her and incredibly grateful when she'd let him hold her while she cried about no one caring about her and had to fight the urge to kiss her when she'd nearly killed him - in front of the club - when he said that in 10 years he saw himself in jail or dead or both.

Despite all that he knew if anyone asked when he'd first been surprised by Rachel Berry he'd lie, because everything else were moments he and Rachel shared. Moments that he cherished too much to let the world know about them, moments that reminded him she was his Rach and he was her Noah.


	5. Love

**A/N Last Chapter, here we go…**

If he really thought about it, Noah Puckerman would say the first time he was truly fell in love with Rachel Berry was on the fifth day of Kindergarden. Of course if anyone asked him he'd tell them just that. If they asked him why he'd simply recount everything that happened in that first week without telling a single lie because he was in fucking love with Rachel Barbra Berry and he'd shout it from the rooftops even as she screamed at him that it was bad for his voice. And if they still didn't understand then he'd tell them exactly what happened on the fifth day of Kindergarden.

Noah had smiled as he watched Rachel trace the invisible stars on her cast, the fact that she knew where they were meant she had spent a lot of time looking at it last night and for some reason that made him feel warm inside. He wasn't sure when the tiny girl suddenly meant so much to him but sometime in the past week it happened.

After sneakily breaking away from Mike and Matt who were still busy trying to console Brittany and get the blonde to forgive Santana simply because they wanted to get back to playing soccer, Noah had sought out his newest addiction. He had found her underneath their tree and as he scratched at the scab on his knee, he found it hard to believe he fell from that branch only four days ago. It seemed like so much had happened since then.

Her hair was the same shining brown he'd come to recognize as a colour all her own and he got caught up in everything that was Rachel as she sat humming to herself. Finally pulling the cool, metal star out of his pocket he rubbed it once to get his confidence and then sat down next to her.

Bumping his shoulder playfully against hers, he smiled sheepishly as she beamed in his direction, her fingers never straying from their tracing.

Opening her hand, he placed the star in her palm feeling a blush rise in his cheeks as he thought about how he was going to explain that he had it all week. However he knew that somehow she just knew things so hopefully she'd understand why he'd kept it.

Risking a glance at her, his breath caught in his throat as he watched her trace the engraving. Having had it for so long he couldn't help but mouth the words along with her. _'To our shining star on her first birthday, love Dad and Daddy.'_

"Oh Noah!" Feeling her lean her head on his shoulder, he settled back against the tree. "Thank you so much."

He jumped in surprise as he felt Rachel press her lips against his cheek. While he wasn't too sure about her cootie status, he didn't mind if he got sick as long as she kept smiling at him like that. With that thought he wrapped his hand around her waist pulling her into a hug, "I didn't want Satan to win."

Rachel's confused eyes met his as she tried to understand what he meant. Refusing to give into her, he focused on her eyes and knew the moment she understood who he was talking about. "Noah, I'm sure when Santana's parents named her they didn't intend for such a mean nickname to come from it."

"Uh-huh. I came up with it Yesterday, isn't it awesome." He watched as she rolled her eyes before leaning back against him but he caught the slight upward flick of her lower lip, no matter how hard she tried to prevent it.

He sat peacefully next to her as she sang quietly for both of them.

As he thought back to last Friday when Matt, Mike and he were playing in the park talking about what Kindergarden was going to be like, he couldn't believe they were so completely wrong. They never counted on Mike not being in their class or Matt not being in his table group or _Rachel _who somehow in the last week became so important to him.

As her voice wrapped around him, he felt safe in a way he'd never been before.

That feeling was the reason Puck went to every performance Rhythm Explosion had. It was why he'd been unable to tell her about his mistake with Quinn because he knew she would help him without questioning him - oh he had no doubt they'd be a lecture but she'd still wrap him in that secure warmth that he didn't deserve.

It was the reason he didn't let anything happen when she came running to him after each new idiotic mistake Finn made. It was why Mike and he had continued to keep in contact with Matt after he moved because he sure as hell wasn't going to let one of his best friends go without a fight when Rachel had never given up on him.

Most importantly it was how he knew he was going to make it out of this town. It meant that when he pictured his future - no matter how girly that sounded - he'd always pictured it with Rachel. She was the one for him, cooties and all.

So he knew if anyone asked when he'd first fallen in love with Rachel Berry he'd tell them the truth. As even though that he was a badass and she was a Gleek who could smile ridiculously brightly at Finn and have Santana shaking in her Cheerios issued sneakers at the same time, he loved her.

He loved her because she signed her name with a star that only he knew the real reasoning behind.

He loved her because when she looked at him, her bottom lip flicked up at the edges and stayed there.

He loved her because if you were lucky enough to be considered worth something to her, she'd fight for you and defend you to her dying breath.

Sure there were days when he'd love to kill her or tell her to shut up and days when she made him want to light himself on fire, but he loved her.

He had loved her since the first week of Kindergarden and nothing was going to change that. Not even Noah himself.

- THE END -

**A/N So that's it, hope you all like the ending. I'm not going to lie I can always be persuaded into writing more but at the moment I feel like this is it. I was thinking about doing a Rachel companion piece but I need suggestions people - some different emotions from the ones I've already used. Any and all help is appreciated.**

**As always I hope you had a fun time reading this fic, reviews are always welcome.**

**Until next time!**

**~ Gabz **


	6. Epilogue (Nervous)

"… and that's why I love you." Puck's voice remained deceptively steady as he finished his sentence but he knew Rachel was not fooled.

Very rarely had Rachel made him nervous - he knew her well enough to anticipate almost anything but as he bore his soul to her he couldn't help his knocking knees as he finally told her just how much power she held over his heart.

As he looked into Rachel's expressive brown eyes he noticed the liquid that had collected there and knew it was only her badass acting skills that prevented her from balling like most of the women in the hall.

As his eyes landed on the various people gathered, he couldn't help but smile as he saw their shocked faces.

People had a habit of asking him and Rachel when and how they'd gotten together - the bad boy jock and the good girl gleek was an age old story but they still wanted to know all the details. However he and Rach had been really good at keeping it to themselves.

He figured it was probably because they weren't too sure how it happened either.

He knew that for him he had been doomed since the first week of Kindergarden but he'd never told her as such - it was just one of many unspoken facts between them. So as he looked over at Rachel, his Rachel, his breath once again being stolen by everything that was her, he knew that it meant so much to her that he was willing to share that story with not only her but their friends and family as well.

Puck's fingers itched to run through his hair but he knew Rachel would kill him if he messed up the Kippah and he was sure that even if it was in front of all these witnesses she could get away with it. Not to mention the with the amount of product Kurt put in his hair, he wasn't sure his hand would even make it out. The stylish boy had argued that since his hair no longer consisted of just a mohawk it needed to be properly tamed - lest his curls run amok.

Feeling Rachel's hand in his own, he brushed a loose curl back into place as he caught sight of the mischievous gap toothed blonde on Rachel's other side. His baby girl was nine years old now and it meant so much to him that she could be there.

While Rachel had never truly made peace with Shelby and to be honest neither had he, they were both courteous enough to make sure he still had a relationship to come back to so he could see Beth whenever they flew into Lima for a visit.

Beth's hair was done in an intricate braid that reminded him so much of Rachel at that age, but he figured the similarities had to be a given since she always latched on to Rachel whenever they visited. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd thrown a Rachel-esque storm out to make sure it was done perfectly.

Seeing the look shared between Rachel's dads and his mother he had no doubt that they'd been planning this moment since Rachel and he had sung 'Amazing Grace' on that second day of Kindergarden. Even so he felt his own smile grow as he caught sight of the mountain of tissues now collected in their laps. Next to them he watched as Jake comforted his teary eyed mother and Marley as they too got caught up in the story, the look in their eyes promising that Jake had better come prepared if he ever got around to marrying Marley.

He knew the Gleeks were scattered with their various partners throughout the synagogue but for now just the knowledge that they were there would have to do because as he spotted the now mischievous glint in Rachel's eye and the way her bottom lip couldn't settle he knew he was in for a hell of a story.

"There are many things I'm sure a lot of you don't know about Noah, many of them being the things that made me fall in love with him. But to truly understand how this man captured my heart I guess I'll just have to tell you a few of them."

**A/N So it's short and sweet - at least I think it is - I think it's going to be a while before I get around to writing Rachel's part but I thank you all for your suggestions and if you want to keep them coming I have no complaints.**

**One guest review pointed out that to them it felt like I had cheated Puckleberry and the Puckleberry readers by ending it without having Puckleberry romantically involved and alluding to Rachel still being with Finn. Though the review hurt a bit because I liked the last chapter, I did understand where they were coming from as it was never my intention to actually end the story there I was just hoping to have a few more ideas as to how to continue before I posted this part as the joining chapter. So I apologize to guest and hope they are more appreciative of this part.**

**This is it for now until I figure out what Rachel's going to say about Puck. Feel free to send me your ideas in reviews and PM's and I'll see what I can do to give them justice.**

**Until next time ~ Gabz**


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